Where the Dime Came From
by SharanMcQuack
Summary: Mr. McDuck finds a way to reward the man who gave him his Lucky Dime in the first place!


**Where The Dime Came From**

By Sharan McQuack, Launchpad's wife.

This is based very loosely from an episode of, God help me, the Smurfs.

* * *

One day, Mr. McDuck was checking out some beachfront property he was thinking of turning into a resort. The old hermit who lived there, however, refused to sell. To him or anybody else, at any price.

"Why not?" Mr. McDuck asked.

The hermit blinked. Nobody had ever bothered to ask him that before.

" I'm cursed. A wicked witch named Magica Despell cursed me. If I ever leave this beach, I turn into a monster. Then I'm so horrible looking, anybody who sees me, shoots at me. Despite the fact I'm no more dangerous then than I am now." the hermit explained.

" Magica said I had given someone else something I should of given her. Never figured out what she meant by that. Magica also said I'd stay cursed until I gave her whatever it is she was talking about, but I don't know what she could mean." the hermit said.

"Why do you look familiar to me? I have a feeling I saw you, once, a long time ago...my god! YOU! You're the one who gave me my Lucky Dime in the first place! I shined your shoes when I was a lad- and as a tip- you gave me my Lucky Dime!" Mr. McDuck yelled, astonished.

"Eh? How could you remember that? It was ages ago! I only remember because I felt guilty about that- I meant to give you a Scottish coin (1) I had in my pocket and gave you an American dime I had in the same pocket by accident! It must have been worthless to you, in Scotland!" the hermit said.

" It's my most valuable possession- my Lucky Dime- the first dime I earned- it brought me my fortune. I'll find a way to break your curse, or my name's not Scrooge McDuck!" Mr. McDuck said.

The hermit told Mr. McDuck that every year for seven nights and seven days, Magica comes to a small island off of this beach.

"To break the curse, I would have to give her want she wants- and you think she wants a mere DIME?" the hermit inquired, flabbergasted.

"I know she does! And tonight is the first of the seven nights, eh? Very well, I'LL go and meet Magica - with my Lucky Dime!" Mr. McDuck said.

So, he got Launchpad to fly him to the island.

" You're going to take the Lucky Dime OUT OF THE MONEY BIN? You're taking the Lucky Dime anyplace near MAGICA DESPELL?" asked Launchpad, more astonished than he's been in quite some time.

" I have to. I owe that man my fortune-literally. I have to break the curse on him. Even if I have to- to- GIVE Magica my dime to do so." Mr. McDuck said.

"But what if she promises to break the curse, takes the Dime- and then doesn't break the curse? Evil people make promises all the time, and then break them. You can't TRUST evil people. And Magica's as evil as they come." Launchpad said.

"Then maybe I can trick her into breaking the curse. I have to try. I've enjoyed my fortune all these years, thanks to this Dime. Breaking the curse, no matter what it takes, is the least I can do for the man who gave me my Lucky Dime in the first place." Mr. McDuck said.

"Then I'm going in with you. I've saved your featherly hide one too many a time to let you do this alone." Launchpad said.

"Thanks. I actually appreciate your help.(1) Magica is a formable opponent. But how can you help? Your strength is no good against her magic!" Mr. McDuck said.

" I know that! But I've helped you fight her before! I'm coming with you! So there!" Launchpad said.

"You're right, we DO have the weirdest arguments." Mr. McDuck mumbled.

So, using Launchpad's quietest helicopter, they went to the island. The only house on it was a battered old wreck that looked like it escaped from "the Addams Family". Mr. McDuck and Launchpad carefully headed towards it. Mr. McDuck signaled that they should ignore the door and find another way in. He soon found a small hole in the wall.

"We can get in this way." Mr. McDuck whispered.

"YOU can. I can't. I'm too big." Launchpad admitted, also whispering.

Mr. McDuck looked at Launchpad's shoulders, looked at the narrow hole and realised that was true.

"Wait a minute. Does this smell of "trap" to you? A hole just happens to be in the house, that's too small for you to fit thru, thus forcing us to separate?" Mr. McDuck quietly asked Launchpad.

"You think maybe we're being snookered? That Magica's up to no good, as per usual?" Launchpad said.

"She might have guessed that you would come with me. She may prefer to pick us off one at a time. Let's sneak around some more and see." Mr. McDuck said.

So they snuck around the back of the ruined house. They passed a boarded-up window. The board had come loose from it and thru what little glass remained, they saw Magica standing by the other side of the small hole they almost used to enter the ruin. Magica was waiting there, like a cat at a mouse hole.

Launchpad had to clamp his mouth shut to keep himself from laughing when Mr. McDuck used the Lucky Dime to pry the nails off the boarded up window, which were luckily, a little loose due to passage of time.

"Is there ANYTHING he doesn't use that Dime for?" Launchpad thought.

Then he silently answered himself:  
"Yes. As MONEY."

Quietly, they removed the boards from the window and put them on the ground. Carefully avoiding the little piece of glass in what remained of the window, they entered the ruin. They sneaked up on Magica to catch her by surprise.

Unfortunately, no sooner did they get close, did the wind blow into the now-unblocked window. Dust blew around, as did dirt, tin cans, pieces of paper and other garbage visitors to the island had tossed into the ruin as if it were an over-grown garbage can (3)! They swirled around in a dust devil, which attracted Magica's attention.

"Scrooge McDuck! What are YOU doing over THERE?" Magica asked.

"You expected me to come in thru that hole, didn't you, Magica? I almost did. But it was a tad too convenient and I smelt a rat. A female rat, but still a rat." Mr. McDuck said.

"Bah! I knew you would come! I arranged all this! I laid a curse on that hermit- that dratted Dime of yours prevents me from cursing anyone you care about (4)- even HIM (5)- but you forgot about the hermit, so I could curse him." Magica said.

"Wait a minute! Why do you keep referring to that man as "the hermit'? Don't you at least know his name?" Launchpad asked.

"That's the nature of the curse, fool! I took away his name! Only if I return his name will the curse be ended!" Magica said. (6)

"OH? And what if we get the telephone book and just keep reading names 'till we get lucky?" Launchpad asked.

"Won't work. I have to say his name to end the curse. And I won't unless I get that Dime! Magica said.

"Don't do it, ! I don't trust her! She'll take your dime, all right, but she won't remove the curse- just so your conscience will bug you for forgetting about that poor man!" Launchpad said.

"Make her say his name first- only then give her the Dime. You know you can't trust her. But she ought to know by now that she can trust you. She ought to know if you promise to give her the dime AFTER she says his name, you'll do so!" Launchpad advised.

"No! I want that dime! NOW! Or I'll never say Adam Coil's- ARRGH! I said his name! I can't believe I said his name!" Magica said. (7)

"I was hoping you would, if I kept you talking about him long enough." Launchpad said.

"You did that on purpose?" Magica asked.

"I wasn't sure if it would work. I know how hard it is not to mention someone's name (8) I was hoping if I kept you talking about him long enough, you'd slip up and call him by name, by accident." Launchpad said.

"The curse is gone, now, isn't it, Magica?" Launchpad asked.

The nasty look Magica gave him answered for her.

"Run! Duck!" Mr. McDuck screamed.

And Mr. McDuck pulled Launchpad's hand. They both ran, as Magica shot off a magic bolt. Launchpad ducked, but a second later, a few hairs from his cowlick (9) were singed off.

"Yow! Parting is such sweet sorrow!" Launchpad joked. (10)

"Why do I have to be so blame big?" he asked.

"It was your big mouth that got you in trouble that time!" Mr. McDuck said.

"OK, OK, so I got carried away." Launchpad said.

They ran for the copter and took off post-haste. They had to dodge quite a few of Magica's bolts as they flew, but Launchpad's used to THAT by now. Soon, they were at Adam Coil's place.

They told him what had happened and went with him as he cautiously took a few steps off the beach, then a few more. Nothing happened.

"I'm cured! Thank you, Mr. McDuck, thank you. And forgive me. I have a confession to make. I gave you that dime on purpose. I was going to be in Scotland for the foreseeable future, so I gave you that dime- to save giving you a coin I could spend, even if it meant you couldn't spend it, either." Adam Coil said.

"Of course I forgive you. You gave me my Lucky Dime in the first place. I'm glad I repaid you for that at last. " Mr. McDuck said.

**The End.**

* * *

(1) OK, does ANYBODY know if Scotland even HAS it's own currency? Or uses shillings or something? Or if had it's own currency a good sixty years ago?

2) It wouldn't kill him to admit that.

(3)As if EARTH were an over-grown garbage can

(4) She can still do simple magic against them, but can't lay an ongoing curse against them.

(5)Magica was pointing to Launchpad.

(6) I liked "Spirited Away".

(7) I swiped this idea shamelessly from all the times Uncle Marvel has tricked Black Adam into saying "Shazam".

My apologies to all and sundry who have no idea who or what I'm talking about, try getting your hands on back issues of DC's "Shazam"

(NOT "Shazam the New Beginning", may it rot in you-know-where! Ignore any thing post-"Crisis on Infinite Earths", which is when DC Comics "jumped the shark", as far as I'm concerned! Try www. my comic shop .com. )

(8) He's remembering having to remember to NEVER call DW "Drake" nor Drake "DW"

(9) That's the tuff of hair that's forever sticking out on Launchpad's aviator's cap

(10)Even Launchpad knows THAT much Shakespeare, if very little more!


End file.
